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PA G E 3 PA G E 4 PA G E 6 PA G E 7
VCU Physician Performs
New Cardiac Procedure
In Brief
PA G E 5
GM President to Visit
School of Business
Penny Drive Raises
Money for NICU
Three Recognized as YWCA
Outstanding Women of 2000
People in the News PA G E 8
Professor Awards Scholarships IFage 3
"" .. ",., .., Un i ve rC it y
Smithsonian
National Portrait
Gallery to House
L. Douglas Wilder
Portrait
by Marcia Meredith
University News Services APortrait of L. Douglas Wilder, created by a Virginia
Commonwealth University alumna, has been accept­ed
hy the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C.
The 50" x 34" painting - created by Richmond artist
Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., veu
president, spoke with former Vir­ginia
govenlOT George Allen during
the Wilder tribute, hosted by Dr.
Trani and Virginia Gov. James S.
Gilmore Ill.
and VCU graduate
Loryn Brazier - was
unveiled at a Jan. 20
reception commemo­rating
the 10th anniver­sary
of Wilder's historic
inauguration. The event
was held at VCU's Stu­art
C. Siegel Center and
was hosted by Virginia
Gov. James S. Gilmore
III and VCU President
Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D.
More than 650
guests attended the
Wilder tribute, includ­ing
former Virginia gov­ernors
George E. Allen
(1994 - 1998); Gerald L.
Baliles (1986 - 1990); former governor (1982 - 1986) and
current U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb; U.S. Rep. Robert C.
L. Douglas Wilder {pictured left}, the nation's fiTst African­American
governor, addressed more than 650 guests at a Jan.
20 anniversary celebration of his historic inauguration. A
50" x 34" oil painting of Wilder (pictured in the foreground)
was unveiled during the ceremony and was accepted by the
National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C.
Scott; Lt. Gov. John H. Hager; Attorney General Mark L.
Earley; former Secretary of Education James W. Dyke Jr.;
Virginia Black Caucus chair Jerrauld C. Jones and Richmond
City Mayor Timothy M. Kaine.
Sworn in as the nation's first black governor on Jan. 13,
1990, Wilder served as Virginia's 65th chief executive for
four years. Wilder's first historic marker was when he was
elected Virginia's first black senator in 1969, a post he was
elected to for five consecutive terms. Also, from 1985 - 1989,
Wilder served as Virginia's first black lieutenant governor.
Born on Jan. 17, 1931, Wilder was raised in Richmond
by his parents, Robert Judson Wilder, a son of slaves, and
Beulah Olive Richards, who was born to freed African-Amer­icans
in Charles City County, Va.
Following the 10th anniversary celebration, the por­trait
was taken to the National Portrait Gallery. The gallery,
which houses more than 18,000 images in its collection, is
currently closed because of collections. It is scheduled to
re-open in summer 2003.
Richmond Hospitals Unite in Virginia
Cardiac Surgery Initiative
Contributed by the Virginia
Cardiac Surgery Initiative
VCSI members have agreed to col­lect
and share clinical and utilization data
on all open-heart surgery procedures
performed in the state, including coro-
"This is an important and innova­tive
initiative and an encouraging first
step in forming a collaboration between
FIve RIchmond-area hospltals ­all
of the major medical institutions in
Chlppenham MedICal Cen- F~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ter, Hennco Doctors' Hos-pital,
Virginia Commonwealth "This is an important and innova­University's
Medical College of tive initiative and an encouraging
the state," says Robert S.D. Higgins,
M.D., associate professor of surgery
and chairman of cardiothoracic
Virginia Hospitals, Memorial first step in forming a collabora-
Regional Medical Center and St. tion between all of the major med-
Mary's Hospital - have joined the
surgery at VCU's MCV Hospitals.
'We look forward to working with
other Virginia cardiothoracic sur­geons
in improving the delivery of
surgical care throughout the state."
Virginia Cardiac Surgery Initiative ical institutions in the state."
(VCSI ). The initiative is a volun-tary
consortium of 10 cardiac
surgery physician groups and 17 hos­pitals
throughout Virginia that have
united in an effort to raise quality stan­dards
across the state.
nary artery bypass grafts and valve
replacements. The group's goal is to
improve quality of care and patient
outcomes by examining up to 50 spe­cific
clinical and operational issues.
"This project is the first such
initiative in the muntry," says Joseph
James Zocco, M.D., a Richmond sur­geon
associated with Cardiac and Tho­racie
Surgical Associates Ltd., a VCSI
participant. "We hope that by compar-
See CARDIAC page 2
Campus Calendar
OPRR Approves
veu's Revised MPA
Immediate Re-Review of Previously
Approved Studies Can Move Forward
by Melissa Jones
University News Services The federal Office for Protection from
Research Risks (OPRR) lifted the sus­pension
it had imposed on Virginia Com­monwealth
University's mnduct of human subjects
research. OPRR has approved the revision of and
reinstated VCU's Multiple Projects Assurance.
The revised MPA establishes Western Institutional
Review Board as VCU's review board of record
for the present and allows the immediate re-review
of studies involving human subjects so that
research projects can resume.
An MPA is the formal, written, binding
agreement that is submitted to a federal agency
in which an institution promises to comply with
applicable regulations governing research with
human subjects. Approval of tbe MPA, which is
granted by the OPRR, is necessary before inves­tigators
at an institution can mnduc! research with
human subjects.
The MPA suspension, which occurred on Jan.
11, was in response to administrative deficien­cies
with the university's Institutional Review
Board, which monitors all research involving
human subjects, and was not due to improper care
of research participants or the exposure of sub­jects
to a specific risk.
In a letter dated Jan. 31, the OPRR's Michael
A. Carome, M.D., wrote that "VCU has devel­oped
satisfactory corrective action plans that
address each of the mncerns and deficiencies doc­umented
in OPRR's letters of Dec. 17, 1999 and
Jan. 11,2000. Furthermore, OPRR finds that VCU
has either completed each required action stip­ulated
in these letters, or provided an adequate
explanation for why certain required actions
could not be implemented yet."
Earlier in January, on Jan. 21, the OPRR
granted VCU's request to retain the authority to
determine whether a study was exempt from
IRB review, which means that such studies can
resume immediately after that determination is
made.
Now that the revised MPA also has been
approved, Western IRB, an independent review
board based in Olympia, Wash., will have the
responsibility of approving or disapproving pro­posed
studies involving human subjects. West­ern
IRB also will re-review previously approved
studies and assist VCU in revising the policies and
procedures that govern human subjects research
at the university. The review of new protocols and
the re~review of previously approved protocols
will take place concurrently.
The OPRR suspension ofVCU's MPA effec,
tively suspended enrollment in research proto­See
REVISED MPA page 2

PA G E 3 PA G E 4 PA G E 6 PA G E 7
VCU Physician Performs
New Cardiac Procedure
In Brief
PA G E 5
GM President to Visit
School of Business
Penny Drive Raises
Money for NICU
Three Recognized as YWCA
Outstanding Women of 2000
People in the News PA G E 8
Professor Awards Scholarships IFage 3
"" .. ",., .., Un i ve rC it y
Smithsonian
National Portrait
Gallery to House
L. Douglas Wilder
Portrait
by Marcia Meredith
University News Services APortrait of L. Douglas Wilder, created by a Virginia
Commonwealth University alumna, has been accept­ed
hy the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C.
The 50" x 34" painting - created by Richmond artist
Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., veu
president, spoke with former Vir­ginia
govenlOT George Allen during
the Wilder tribute, hosted by Dr.
Trani and Virginia Gov. James S.
Gilmore Ill.
and VCU graduate
Loryn Brazier - was
unveiled at a Jan. 20
reception commemo­rating
the 10th anniver­sary
of Wilder's historic
inauguration. The event
was held at VCU's Stu­art
C. Siegel Center and
was hosted by Virginia
Gov. James S. Gilmore
III and VCU President
Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D.
More than 650
guests attended the
Wilder tribute, includ­ing
former Virginia gov­ernors
George E. Allen
(1994 - 1998); Gerald L.
Baliles (1986 - 1990); former governor (1982 - 1986) and
current U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb; U.S. Rep. Robert C.
L. Douglas Wilder {pictured left}, the nation's fiTst African­American
governor, addressed more than 650 guests at a Jan.
20 anniversary celebration of his historic inauguration. A
50" x 34" oil painting of Wilder (pictured in the foreground)
was unveiled during the ceremony and was accepted by the
National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C.
Scott; Lt. Gov. John H. Hager; Attorney General Mark L.
Earley; former Secretary of Education James W. Dyke Jr.;
Virginia Black Caucus chair Jerrauld C. Jones and Richmond
City Mayor Timothy M. Kaine.
Sworn in as the nation's first black governor on Jan. 13,
1990, Wilder served as Virginia's 65th chief executive for
four years. Wilder's first historic marker was when he was
elected Virginia's first black senator in 1969, a post he was
elected to for five consecutive terms. Also, from 1985 - 1989,
Wilder served as Virginia's first black lieutenant governor.
Born on Jan. 17, 1931, Wilder was raised in Richmond
by his parents, Robert Judson Wilder, a son of slaves, and
Beulah Olive Richards, who was born to freed African-Amer­icans
in Charles City County, Va.
Following the 10th anniversary celebration, the por­trait
was taken to the National Portrait Gallery. The gallery,
which houses more than 18,000 images in its collection, is
currently closed because of collections. It is scheduled to
re-open in summer 2003.
Richmond Hospitals Unite in Virginia
Cardiac Surgery Initiative
Contributed by the Virginia
Cardiac Surgery Initiative
VCSI members have agreed to col­lect
and share clinical and utilization data
on all open-heart surgery procedures
performed in the state, including coro-
"This is an important and innova­tive
initiative and an encouraging first
step in forming a collaboration between
FIve RIchmond-area hospltals ­all
of the major medical institutions in
Chlppenham MedICal Cen- F~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ter, Hennco Doctors' Hos-pital,
Virginia Commonwealth "This is an important and innova­University's
Medical College of tive initiative and an encouraging
the state" says Robert S.D. Higgins,
M.D., associate professor of surgery
and chairman of cardiothoracic
Virginia Hospitals, Memorial first step in forming a collabora-
Regional Medical Center and St. tion between all of the major med-
Mary's Hospital - have joined the
surgery at VCU's MCV Hospitals.
'We look forward to working with
other Virginia cardiothoracic sur­geons
in improving the delivery of
surgical care throughout the state."
Virginia Cardiac Surgery Initiative ical institutions in the state."
(VCSI ). The initiative is a volun-tary
consortium of 10 cardiac
surgery physician groups and 17 hos­pitals
throughout Virginia that have
united in an effort to raise quality stan­dards
across the state.
nary artery bypass grafts and valve
replacements. The group's goal is to
improve quality of care and patient
outcomes by examining up to 50 spe­cific
clinical and operational issues.
"This project is the first such
initiative in the muntry" says Joseph
James Zocco, M.D., a Richmond sur­geon
associated with Cardiac and Tho­racie
Surgical Associates Ltd., a VCSI
participant. "We hope that by compar-
See CARDIAC page 2
Campus Calendar
OPRR Approves
veu's Revised MPA
Immediate Re-Review of Previously
Approved Studies Can Move Forward
by Melissa Jones
University News Services The federal Office for Protection from
Research Risks (OPRR) lifted the sus­pension
it had imposed on Virginia Com­monwealth
University's mnduct of human subjects
research. OPRR has approved the revision of and
reinstated VCU's Multiple Projects Assurance.
The revised MPA establishes Western Institutional
Review Board as VCU's review board of record
for the present and allows the immediate re-review
of studies involving human subjects so that
research projects can resume.
An MPA is the formal, written, binding
agreement that is submitted to a federal agency
in which an institution promises to comply with
applicable regulations governing research with
human subjects. Approval of tbe MPA, which is
granted by the OPRR, is necessary before inves­tigators
at an institution can mnduc! research with
human subjects.
The MPA suspension, which occurred on Jan.
11, was in response to administrative deficien­cies
with the university's Institutional Review
Board, which monitors all research involving
human subjects, and was not due to improper care
of research participants or the exposure of sub­jects
to a specific risk.
In a letter dated Jan. 31, the OPRR's Michael
A. Carome, M.D., wrote that "VCU has devel­oped
satisfactory corrective action plans that
address each of the mncerns and deficiencies doc­umented
in OPRR's letters of Dec. 17, 1999 and
Jan. 11,2000. Furthermore, OPRR finds that VCU
has either completed each required action stip­ulated
in these letters, or provided an adequate
explanation for why certain required actions
could not be implemented yet."
Earlier in January, on Jan. 21, the OPRR
granted VCU's request to retain the authority to
determine whether a study was exempt from
IRB review, which means that such studies can
resume immediately after that determination is
made.
Now that the revised MPA also has been
approved, Western IRB, an independent review
board based in Olympia, Wash., will have the
responsibility of approving or disapproving pro­posed
studies involving human subjects. West­ern
IRB also will re-review previously approved
studies and assist VCU in revising the policies and
procedures that govern human subjects research
at the university. The review of new protocols and
the re~review of previously approved protocols
will take place concurrently.
The OPRR suspension ofVCU's MPA effec,
tively suspended enrollment in research proto­See
REVISED MPA page 2